


We Could Be Strangers

by zzegnas



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Office, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 10:45:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3064907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zzegnas/pseuds/zzegnas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“I’m starting to wonder if you don’t like any of us,” she says with her hands on her hips.  “Or do you just prefer to eat alone?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s neither, I just don’t want to be a hassle if I’m only here for a few days.  I appreciate what you’re doing, but really, it’s okay.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Veronica sighs, tossing her long waves over her shoulder.  “I’ll get you alone by the end of the week,” she tells him and turns her heel, walking with a sway in her hips that makes Harry’s tie feel a little too tight around his neck.</em>
</p><p>—<br/>Harry is temporarily hired to look into the books of Horan & Sons, Inc., searching for clues to their missing money.  He's fascinated by the office manager that makes no effort to hide her attraction to him, as well as the late night escapades of his boss and a stranger that looks all too familiar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Could Be Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Veronica, and I wanted to see her in fic again outside of the BSE world, so here she is now. This was also partly inspired by [this gif](http://hellchargers.tumblr.com/post/100287058318/x), mostly because of Niall's confident businessman-like vibes.
> 
> I didn't mention it, but Niall's in his early 30s and the others are in their late 20s. Also, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tag this as ziall; people will be pissed if I don't, others will still be pissed that I even bothered. Can't all be winners, I suppose...
> 
> Two things: this is Americanized and I send my apologies to actual accountants lmao.
> 
> Title from '[Body](http://youtu.be/oDuYFONO4QU)' by Niia.

“Find out where my money is going and you’ll be paid.   _Plenty_.”  
  
Harry swallows hard, lightly gripping the armrest of the chair with his sweaty palms.  The gold nameplate in front of him reads **Niall Horan: President & CEO**, adding another element of nervousness despite his calm exterior.  Horan & Sons, Inc. provide the best in audio equipment to the music and film industry, and Harry’s surprised that the youngest in the Horan family is only a few years older than himself.  
  
“I’ll find out where your money’s going _and_ who’s been taking it from you,” Harry replies.  
  
He’s been temporarily hired for the week, slightly suspicious that the company’s entire finance department had up and left to attend a two-week conference at such short notice.  But a job is a job, and Harry’s going to do it the best way he knows how.  Quickly and efficiently.  
  
“Excellent!” his new boss exclaims, rubbing his hands together.  “You were highly recommended by trusted colleagues of mine.  They say you’re the best and I expect nothing less.”  
  
“You won’t be disappointed, Mr. Horan.”  
  
“Call me Niall,” he smiles, embarrassed.  “I don’t do well on the formal thing.”  
  
“Niall it is.”  
  
“All your paperwork’s been processed by HR, so you’ll be coming here instead of your agency until the work is completed.”  Niall looks at his watch, brow furrowed as he quietly mumbles to himself.  “If my timing is correct, everything you need should be set up by now.”  
  
Niall shows Harry to his office, outfitted with a mahogany desk, a leather chair, and a computer.  Harry sets his bag down onto the chair, smiling at the bright pink post-it note stuck to the computer monitor reading: _Welcome, Harry!_  
  
“Ah!  There you are, right on time,” Niall says from behind.  “Harry, I’d like you to meet Veronica.  She’s the office manager, but she’ll be helping you with everything you need.”  
  
Harry turns around just as he’s unbuttoning his suit jacket, stunned at the woman standing beside Niall.  Her long black waves and big cat eye glasses are the first thing he notices, paying no mind to whatever Niall is saying to him.  She starts to walk closer and Harry immediately sticks his hand out, accidentally shaking her hand harder than intended.  
  
“Death grip you’ve got there,” she snorts, and Harry sheepishly apologizes.  
  
“Now,” Niall turns to Veronica, “even though he’s only here for the week, let’s make Harry feel welcome, yes?  Give him a tour, show him how our computer system works, all that good stuff.”  
  
“Sure thing.”  Veronica smiles again and Harry’s breath is more than just taken away.  She waves a hand, gesturing for him to join her as she’s walking towards the door.  “Let’s get you suited up.”  
  
“I’m–” Harry looks down at his blue suit, “it’s not a rental?”  
  
Veronica laughs, lightly pushing up her glasses.  Harry’s never seen anything so beautiful.  
  
—  
  
Veronica teaches Harry how to use their programs first, a simple system that tracks all of the company’s finances.  After fifteen minutes, she takes him on a tour of the office, and Harry’s sure he’s got the hang of the place at the end of it.  He knows the break room is next to Niall’s office, the bathrooms are located outside at the end of the hall, and Veronica’s desk is across the room in clear view from his own.  
  
To Harry’s surprise, all the paperwork he needs to start working is neatly stacked and organized on a separate desk at his convenience.  He busies himself for several minutes, looking through most of it before he finally loosens his tie, and rolls up his sleeves.  
  
“Come on, darlin’, we’ve got work to do,” he says, picking up the first stack with ease.  
  
As soon as he turns around, he catches Veronica’s eye from where he stands, immediately feeling a flush on his cheeks when she looks back at her computer monitor with a smirk.  
  
—  
  
Harry starts with the invoices from the beginning of the year, going through every receipt and credit memo he can find.  He needs to find the kink in the books that’s causing Niall to lose a small chunk of money, and everything is seemingly legal.  So far.  
  
He continues searching until a tap to his door distracts him, finding Veronica approaching him with a smile.  She’s got a fresh coat of lipstick on and her glasses are gone, and Harry’s still in awe of how beautiful she looks.  
  
“A couple of us are heading out to lunch, wanna come with?”  
  
“Wh-What?  Lunch?”  
  
“Yeah!  You know, the meal you have between breakfast and dinner?”  
  
Harry looks at the time on the lower right corner of his computer screen—12:35 PM.  “Lunch!  Right, yeah, _obviously_ ,” he laughs, embarrassed.  “I think I’ll pass, I’m not even close to being halfway finished.”  
  
“Those invoices won’t go anywhere if you take a break,” she tells him sarcastically.  “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone!  I bet I can even score you a free sandwich at the deli across the street since you’re new.”  
  
Harry’s flattered, but shakes his head with a smile.  “It’s okay, I brought my own lunch anyway.  Maybe next time.”  
  
“Party pooper,” she rolls her eyes playfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  “Don’t work too hard.”  
  
“I’ll try.”  
  
—  
  
Veronica goes home at five and Harry doesn’t leave until six.  Nearly everyone in the office is gone except for Niall, still hard at work in front of his computer screen.  They have a brief meeting about Harry’s research, finding nothing suspicious in the books so far.  
  
Then again, Harry only managed to get as far as the month of April.  If he plans it correctly, he could go through the entire year before the end of the week, and that doesn’t sound bad at all.  
  
After packing up, Harry gives a wave to Niall before he leaves, heading towards the elevator at the opposite end of the hall.  The doors open and Harry accidentally bumps into someone leaving the lift, making him drop a plastic case full of red sugar coated candy.  Harry quickly picks up the case and hands it back, doing a double take at the person in front of him when he looks up.  
  
"Have we met before?”  
  
“No?  At least I don’t think so anyway.”  
  
“Weird,” Harry clears his throat, “er, sorry about that.  Have a good one.”  
  
“You too, man, thanks!”  The stranger pats Harry on the arm, heading straight for Niall’s office.  
  
Harry steps into the lift, not giving too much thought over the young man running towards Niall into a tight hug.  As soon as Harry presses the button for the lobby, Niall shuts his door, quickly closing the blinds to a half slit.  There’s nothing slightly weird about it until Niall lifts the stranger onto his desk and passionately kisses him, the elevator doors closing shut just as they begin disrobing.  
  
—  
  
It’s the same the next two days, working hard on the invoices and credit memos, searching for clues to Niall’s missing money.  Harry does his best to push aside what he’d seen after hours, briefly watching his temporary boss getting hot and heavy with the well groomed stranger that looked so familiar.  
  
Where _had_ he seen this person before?  Maybe it was his coiffed hair, the multiple rings on his fingers, the intricate tattoo on his left hand, or just the tailored suits he wore.  Either way, there was something about the way he carried himself, his familiarity lingering in the back of Harry’s mind.  
  
Unlike the last few nights, Harry’s somewhat in the clear when he steals a glance towards Veronica’s office from time to time.  He’ll watch her fingers as she’s typing away on her keyboard, swallow hard when she bites the cap of her ballpoint pen, and look away fast enough whenever she makes her way to the copy machines nearby.  
  
Occasionally, he’ll catch Veronica doing something rather tempting his way—biting the corner of her berry stained lips, wetting them, or even just tossing her hair back—and it leaves him feeling like he’s fifteen again.  With less pimples and a better sense of style, clearly.  
  
By the time lunch rolls around, Veronica stops by his office, asking him to join her again.  And, just like the last two days, Harry gives her the same excuse to her chagrin.  
  
“I’m starting to wonder if you don’t like any of us,” she says with her hands on her hips.  “Or do you just prefer to eat alone?”  
  
“It’s neither, I just don’t want to be a hassle if I’m only here for a few days.  I appreciate what you’re doing, but really, it’s okay.”  
  
Veronica sighs, tossing her long waves over her shoulder.  “I’ll get you alone by the end of the week,” she tells him and turns her heel, walking with a sway in her hips that makes Harry’s tie feel a little too tight around his neck.  
  
—  
  
By mid-Thursday morning, Harry finds the clues to Niall’s missing money and promptly informs him the first chance he gets.  Harry points out the budget to a previous electronics conference, scheduled two months prior with an approved budget of $75,000 for an overseas sales employee by the name of Emile.  
  
Upon further inspection and multiple phone calls later, they both discover the company Emile hired to set up their booths were never informed of the budget, taking Niall’s money at staggeringly high increments.  Over $413,000 have been taken from the Horan  & Sons company credit card, hitting close to the $425,000 line credit he’s allowed to spend.  Niall immediately calls up his lawyers, who seem to be more of a pain in the ass than actual professionals when he asks for their advice.  
  
“Try me again, Payne, I fucking dare you!” Niall shouts on the phone.  “Put Tomlinson on the phone!  If you don’t get me Tomlinson, do you know what I’m going to do?  I’m gonna come over there, march right up to your office, and rip your god damn—”  
  
“Niall!”  
  
Harry jumps in his seat, frightened by the sheer volume of Veronica’s voice.  
  
“Do you have any idea how loud you are right now?  You’re scaring the interns!” she grits through her teeth.  
  
“Veronica,” Niall holds his hand out to keep her calm, “this is Payne and Tomlinson.  You know what they’re like!  If I don’t give them the swift kick in the ass they need—”  
  
“I don’t care if you shove their heads up their asses with a baseball bat and turn their grape-sized testicles into vanilla cake pops!” she whisper-shouts to his surprise.  “Watch your profanity—this is an office, not a frat house!”  
  
Veronica whips around and shuts the door, leaving Harry stunned.  Niall tips his head back to take a deep breath, and Harry asks, “Is she allowed to do that?”  
  
“Yeah, she is,” Niall chuckles.  “She does it to keep me in line.  Anyone else would be fired immediately,” he assures Harry.  
  
Niall goes back to speaking on the phone in a quieter tone, and Harry pretends to look through the paperwork to keep himself occupied, mostly staring at the shine of his shoes.  Niall’s voice goes in and out, but all Harry knows is that he’s found the culprit, and Niall’s taking legal action as per his lawyers’ suggestion.  
  
As soon as Niall’s finished, he leans back in his chair and slumps down, breathing out a sigh of relief.  
  
“All good?” Harry asks.  
  
“Best day ever,” Niall laughs.  “I can’t thank you enough for your hard work this entire week, Harry, seriously.  I just need to make a call to your boss and calculate your hours so you can get paid.  I’ll probably throw in a couple extra numbers for doing this so quickly.”  
  
“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Harry replies, embarrassed.  
  
“No no, I want to!  I insist.”  
  
Niall’s phone buzzes and he checks the message, his eyes going wide and cheeks turning flush in a matter of seconds.  “ _Oh my god_ ,” he whispers excitedly, then straightens up with a grin on his face.  “Tell Veronica I’m giving the office a full hour’s lunch.  I figure everyone should reap the rewards of your discovery.”  
  
—  
  
“Let me guess.  You brought your own lunch.”  
  
Harry bumps his head from under his desk, heart racing when he sees a shadow of Veronica’s silhouette from his open door.  Her heels click towards him as he’s sitting back up, giving her a sheepish smile when she sits beside him on the edge of his desk.  
  
“I don’t mean to do it on purpose,” he tells her shyly.  “Creature of habit, I guess.”  
  
“Excuses, excuses,” she tuts in jest.  “But I’ve beat you at your own game, Harry.  I brought my own lunch, too.”  
  
Veronica discreetly crosses her legs, the sheen of her nylon stockings making Harry more than just nervous.  She looks down at the tupperware tub in Harry’s lap, laughing quietly when he does an awkward dance of covering and uncovering his crotch for a good five seconds.  
  
“So, where’s your lunch?” Harry asks, scratching his head.  
  
“Oh, I left it in my car, actually,” she realizes.  “Can’t trust anyone to leave their food in our fridge and expect it to still be there.”  Veronica uncrosses her legs to stand and Harry hears a loud snap, startling both of them at the same time.  “Argh, stupid thing!  Why did I bother with these!”  
  
She lifts the hem of her skirt and Harry gasps quietly, immediately turning the other way the moment Veronica flashes her bare thigh.  Harry’s doing his best not to peek at her, but he panics internally when he sees her reflection on his computer monitor by accident.  Veronica lifts her skirt even higher and Harry bites down on his lip, shutting his eyes after she clips the suspender of her garter belt back onto the lace of her nude stockings.  
  
“That should do it,” she says with a _hmph!_ and fixes her skirt.  Harry slowly looks back at her as she’s leaving, telling him, “I’ll be back in a few minutes to get my stuff.  Don’t start without me!”  
  
Harry takes a deep breath when she’s out of sight, placing a hand to his forehead to keep himself calm.  
  
—  
  
Nearly all of the employees are filing out of the office when Harry heads to the break room.  He briefly chats with an intern about places to eat in the area, suggesting the deli two blocks away that gives student discounts.  As soon as the intern leaves, Harry does a double take as he’s heating up his food, surprised to see Niall’s nightly stranger sprinting past the doors.  
  
_If you didn’t make me clock out I could get in so much trouble.  The things you make me do, I swear._  
  
_Babe, don’t act like we haven’t done this before.  You know I like it when you give it to me fast, and I’m not leaving until I get my fix._  
  
Harry looks over his shoulder, wondering if he’s hearing things.  He hears the voices again and looks up, realizing it’s coming from the air vent above the water cooler.  They seem to be having a quiet argument when a sudden yelp startles Harry, making him knock over the stack of styrofoam cups nearby.  
  
_Oh, fuck, Niall!  Oh god, you feel so good!_  
  
“Oh my god,” Harry gasps, covering his mouth with both hands.  He stays still for a few seconds until the moans from Niall’s office become even louder, and Harry starts to panic.  “Oh no, what do I do!”  
  
Harry runs out of the break room looking for Veronica, or anyone else for some kind of reprieve, only to find the entire place empty.   _God!  Yeah, right there, I want it harder,_ the stranger moans through the closed door.  The loud beep of the microwave goes off and Harry runs back into the break room, pressing the ‘Clear’ button as fast as he can.  
  
_What was that?  Is someone still here?_  
  
_Smoke alarm,_ Niall wheezes, _weak battery—oh, Jesus!_ he moans right after.  
  
Harry covers his ears, frozen from the simultaneous curses from the next room.  He could just run out and never come back, but he’s still waiting for Veronica, and the last five minutes feel more like an hour’s gone by the longer he waits.  The moans and groans of Niall escalate until it abruptly stops, followed by a stream of heavy breathing when Harry uncovers his ears.  
  
_We can’t keep doing this.  We can’t keep hiding this from your sister, she’s going to find out,_ Niall says, followed by the sound of kisses.  
  
_Just wait a little longer, it’s not the right time._  
  
_It’ll be too late when you finally break it to her.  She’s going to hate us, and that’s the last thing I want._  
  
_She won’t, I promise.  No matter what she says, I still love you, Niall._  
  
_I love you too, you know I do._  
  
Harry’s actually touched by their conversation, but soon he hears the distant bell of the elevator doors, and he panics again, running out towards the office’s main entrance.  He can see Veronica walking down the hall with a small paper bag and he opens the door, taking a breath to yell out, “Veronica?  That you?”  
  
He can hear a shuffle and crash in Niall’s office, a sheen of sweat forming over his upper lip the closer Veronica walks towards him.  
  
“Sorry I took so long, traffic jam in the elevators,” she says, rolling her eyes, then notices Harry’s tense expression.  “You okay?  You look… constipated.”  
  
“What?  Yeah!  I’m fine!” Harry answers too quickly, but Veronica shrugs it off, giving him a smile when they head back inside.  
  
They’re taken by surprise when Niall slams his door open, running out in a panic.  His cheeks are flushed and his hair is all over the place, not to mention the necktie crookedly angled under his upturned shirt collar.  
  
“Veronica!  Harry!” Niall almost shouts, swallowing hard.  “I thought you two left with everyone else?”  
  
“We’re staying in,” Veronica replies, holding up her lunch bag.  “And you’re a mess!  Did Payne and Tomlinson send you into a flying rage again?  I know how much they like to piss you off,” she laughs.  
  
Niall stares at her wide-eyed, then bursts out laughing.  “Of course it was, Vee.  Always in the know.”  
  
“Vee?  Only my family calls me that,” she says, giving him a snort.  
  
Veronica places a hand on Harry’s arm, taking him with her back to the break room.  Harry looks over his shoulder and Niall has his back turned, motioning for his nightly stranger to leave as quickly as possible.  
  
“I can’t wait to eat this killer spicy chicken, my stomach is growling like crazy!  It’s probably the best thing I’ve made in a while, my mom would be so proud.”  
  
“I made Swedish meatballs.  Or at least I think I did, anyway.”  
  
“I’m sure it’s not that bad!  I’ll share mine if you share yours,” Veronica grins.  “Come on, I know you want to,” she adds in a sing-song voice, slightly sticking her tongue out behind her teeth.  
  
Harry hesitates, but gives in when Veronica pouts at him.  “Yeah all right, you got me.”  
  
—  
  
“Told you I’d get you alone by the end of the week, didn’t I?”  
  
Harry chokes on his water bottle, little sprays of spittle shooting up his nose.  “Yeah, I guess you did,” he coughs, wiping his mouth.  
  
Veronica grabs a clean napkin, dabbing off the stray water droplets from Harry’s chin.  “Did you think I would bite?”  
  
“No, of course not,” Harry laughs.  “But I don’t mind if you do.”  
  
“Well, I’ve got ‘til tomorrow,” Veronica bites the corner of her lip.  Harry’s never been _that_ good of a flirt, but he’s practically floating on air seeing her blush like this.  
  
They continue to talk while they eat, occasionally snatching a piece or two from each other’s tupperware tubs.  He asks about the small bird tattoo on her right hand, learning her tattoo-laden twin brother paid for it.  
  
“He’s got a full sleeve on his left arm, full of colors and designs, it’s _amazing_!  I always wanted one too, so when I made my first appointment, he insisted on paying for it ‘cause he was so excited,” she laughs, then asks Harry if he’s got any ink on himself.  
  
“Just my family’s name on my shoulder, and a line of poetry on my hip.  I don't really show it off, but I like it.”  
  
Veronica raises a brow, then wets her lips.  “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” she says suggestively, and Harry practically stops breathing.  
  
Several employees are back to work in their cubicles by the time Harry and Veronica are finished eating.  Harry clears up their table, and watches her reapply her lipstick when he sits back down.  
  
“Did you know there’s a guy that comes in here when everyone’s gone?” Harry asks, nonchalant.  
  
“Oh sure, that’s Serge!  He’s the night janitor here.”  
  
“No, I mean, there’s this guy who shows up, and he always goes into Niall’s office.  I could be imagining all of this, but I’m guessing he might be Niall’s boyfriend?  With all the kissing I’ve seen, I mean.”  
  
“A _boyfriend_!  I never thought he’d have time for anyone, considering he’s practically married to this job,” she laughs, then leans in closer to Harry until they’re almost face-to-face.  “But tell me, what’s this guy look like?”  
  
“Really handsome.  Cheekbones everywhere,” Harry says, wide-eyed.  “Everything on the guy is just _nice_ —his clothes, his rings, his hair… and he always has a case of candy with him too, which is kind of odd?  But I swear I’ve seen him before.”  
  
“Huh,” Veronica furrows her brow.  “The candy he brings with him, is it red?  And it’s got a lot of sugar on it?”  
  
“Yeah!  How’d you know?”  
  
“They’re strawberry sour belts… my brother loves them,” she whispers, coming to a realization.  “And you said this guy wears rings, right?  Did you see how many?”  
  
“I-I didn’t count, but I saw a lot of them.  His other hand’s got a tattoo, it’s a floral design, really intricate.”  
  
Veronica looks up at Harry in concern, then shakes her head with a laugh.  Harry senses she wants to say something, but he doesn’t force it out of her, especially when she angrily finishes the entirety of her two-litre water bottle in five seconds flat.  
  
“Veronica?”  Niall pops his head through the door, now cleaned up instead of unkempt.  “When you’re done, could you call one of the custodians into my office?  I need a clean up around my desk, it’s a mess.”  
  
“What happened?” she asks, suspicious.  
  
“Just, er, I had some coffee with my lunch.  Spilled a bunch of sugar packets by accident and now they’re everywhere.”  
  
“That’s funny, I thought you only drank tea.”  
  
“Do I?  New routine, then,” Niall laughs nervously, forcing a smile when he leaves.  
  
There’s a tense silence between them as Veronica’s gripping the handles of her handbag, eyes fixated on the table in front of them.  Harry opens his mouth to speak, but she turns to look at him, smiling sweetly.  
  
“Admit it, lunch with me wasn’t so bad,” she teases.  
  
“It’s on my list of top five lunches, definitely.”  
  
“Maybe we’ll do dinner one night.”  
  
Harry starts to stutter and Veronica smirks, giving him a wink before she walks out.  
  
—  
  
Payne and Tomlinson, the company’s lawyers, show around four for a meeting with Niall.  Harry is asked to join them and explain his discovery, using the information as his official statement.  He nearly falls asleep listening to all of the legal jargon he’s unable to decipher.  All he gets out of it are mentions of ‘litigations’, ‘out of court settlements’, and ‘paying for damages so high they’ll be bankrupt’—which Niall insists isn’t necessary.  
  
The entire office is empty when the lawyers finish at six-thirty, and Harry packs up to go home as soon as Niall gives him the okay.  It’s hard to believe how fast the week’s gone by, and he comes to the realization that as soon as Niall hands him his paycheck, he’ll probably never see Veronica again.  His real office at the agency lacked a view as beautiful as her, and it’ll be hard to picture being without the raven-haired office manager that loved to flirt with him.  
  
“Dinner at the steak house after work, whaddya say?” he rehearses, sounding pathetic.  “How about sushi?  I can eat it raw—argh! I can’t say that, she’ll slap me.”  
  
He’ll have to work on his delivery.  
  
—  
  
Harry gives his usual wave to Niall as he’s leaving, heading straight for the elevators.  It’s well past seven o’clock, and Harry’s not surprised the nightly stranger hasn’t bothered to come back, especially after their lunchtime romp.  It was ballsy of Niall to do something so salacious, but for all Harry knows, Niall could have been giving his stranger a killer back massage.  
  
“Jeez, what’s taking so damn long?” he says, annoyed at the elevator’s delayed arrival.  But soon the doors open, and Harry’s stunned when he sees Niall’s stranger, eating a strip of the strawberry belts dangling from his hand.  
  
“ _Again?_ ” Harry accidentally blurts out.  
  
“Sorry?”  
  
“Uh, nothing!  Nothing, I was thinking out loud.”  
  
“It’s cool,” the stranger shrugs, stepping out of the elevator.  “Have a good night.”  
  
They exchange nods and Harry enters the lift, watching as the stranger casually strolls into the office.  Harry presses the button for the lobby and leans back, blowing a raspberry after such a long day.  The doors begin to close and suddenly he catches sight of Veronica, walking fast in her heels towards the office entrance.  
  
“Veronica?  What is she—Veronica, wait!” Harry yells, sticking his hand through the sliver of the elevator doors.  
  
He manages to pry them back open and runs out, looking around in a panic to make sure the coast is clear.  Harry can see her marching straight into the supply room, wielding a red stapler in her hand as she heads directly to Niall’s office.  She presses her ear against the door, and Harry’s heart nearly stops.  
  
“Oh no,” Harry gasps, and he drops his bag, running towards her as she opens the door.  “Veronica, don’t!”  
  
_Zayn?  What the hell is going on!_  
  
Harry runs up behind her as she goes into shock, catching Niall and his nightly stranger in a compromising position.  Niall’s quickly zipping up his pants as the stranger rises to his feet, quickly wiping his mouth, holding his hands up in defense as he approaches Veronica.  
  
“Vee, it’s not what you think.”  
  
“What else am I supposed to think, Zayn?  You tripped and your mouth somehow landed on my boss’ dick!?” she growls, holding the stapler above her head towards Niall.  Harry holds her back, snatching it away before she can do any harm.  “How long have you been fucking my brother, Niall!?”

"I-I can't," Niall's voice trembles, "Zayn, he told me–"  
  
“Don't do this, Veronica,” Zayn pleads with her, eyes watering.  “I-It’s okay, I swear, we were just playing around—”  
  
“How long!?” she shrieks.  
  
Niall stands beside Zayn, linking their hands together.  “Two.”  
  
“Two?  What, weeks?  Months?”  
  
“Years,” Niall answers, and Veronica’s jaw drops open.  “You brought Zayn to the company Christmas party two years ago, remember?  He accidentally walked into my office thinking it was the break room, but we started talking and really clicked.  We started kissing and messing around after a couple of beers, but I wanted to see him again.  I _had_ to.  And Zayn, he wanted to be with me just as bad as I wanted to be with him—”  
  
“Enough,” Veronica puts a hand to her chest, attempting to stay calm.  “I can’t believe you kept this from me, the both of you!  Did you think I would be ashamed if I’d known?”  
  
“No!  No, Vee, never,” Zayn reasons.  “We were going to tell you eventually, but we had to keep it a secret.  I didn’t want you to think I was with him as a favor, that I was fucking him so you could get a pay raise.”  
  
“What!?  That isn’t even what this is about, Zee!  We’ve never kept secrets from each other, a-a-and you somehow believe I’d think that low of you?”  She’s suddenly short of breath, mumbling incoherently as Zayn tries to explain himself.  “Mom and Dad are going to be so—they’re going to cry so much—”  
  
“They–” Zayn looks down, ashamed.  “They already know.  They’ve known for a while now.”  
  
Veronica’s breathing becomes erratic, backing away from her brother.  “All this time?” her voice shakes.  “How could—” she lets out a gasp, and Harry freaks out when her eyes suddenly roll to the back of her head.  Zayn shouts his sister’s name in horror and Harry immediately holds out his arms, catching her as she faints.  
  
—  
  
Veronica wakes up several minutes later with Harry by her side.  After recuperating, she and her brother along with Niall end up having a Very Long Talk in the conference room.  Harry insists on staying out of it, but Veronica pleads with him to wait for her, which he does at her request.  He spends the entirety of their chat sitting on the leather couches in the reception area, keeping a watchful eye on the three of them.  
  
Harry’s looking through his phone when they’ve finished and Veronica makes her way over, sitting right beside him.  She lets out a relieved breath when she leans back, giving Harry a smile.  
  
“Everything go okay in there?” Harry asks, and Veronica nods.  
  
“They explained themselves pretty thoroughly.  I’m still hurt that my twin brother, _of all people_ , hid this from me, but he knows I won’t let him live it down once I get over it,” she says with a laugh.  “Two years, though.  I can only imagine what’s been flying over my head the entire time they were together.”  
  
“You never suspected anything?  There had to be _something_ you noticed.”  
  
“Had an inkling a while back,” she sits up, scooting closer to Harry.  “I’d accidentally taken my brother’s phone when he came to visit once.  I unlocked it thinking it was mine, but I wound up seeing a bunch of lovey dovey messages instead, which I thought was pretty weird since he never mentioned any of it to me.  My family doesn’t like to keep secrets, as you can tell.”  
  
Veronica kicks off her heels, leaning down to scratch at her legs.  “You should head home now,” she tells Harry.  “I think I’ve kept you here long enough.”  
  
“You’ll be okay?”  
  
She softly chuckles, gently knocking their knees together.  “I’m a big girl, I’ll manage.”  
  
Harry feels Veronica’s hand just above his his knee when he reaches for his bag, heart racing fast.  “G-Good night,” he stutters.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
  
“I’ll try not to miss you too much,” she teases.  Harry bids her a good night one more time, leaving with a mile-wide grin on his face.  
  
—  
  
The next morning, Niall slides a white envelope across his desk, Harry’s name and address visible through its thin plastic window.  Harry takes it and opens its unsealed flap, gasping when he glances at the amount printed on the paycheck.  
  
“Your salary and a few extra numbers for your outstanding work.”  
  
“This is beyond what I expected,” Harry blinks, shocked.  “These extra zeroes, I never thought I’d see them just for finding out a flaw in the books.”  
  
“Then it’s probably a good time to start charging that much,” Niall laughs heartily.  Harry keeps staring at the surprising amount, immediately looking up when Niall clears his throat.  “You worked hard to earn that money, but I don’t want you to think I’m giving it to you because of last night.”  
  
“No, no of course not!  That’s between you and Veronica, I was—I guess I was just caught in the crossfire.”  
  
“So I trust that whatever you saw,” Niall pauses, and Harry finishes the sentence with, “it stays here.”  
  
They both rise from their seats, giving each other a firm handshake.  “Not to sound like a Craigslist ad, but the head of the finance department is retiring soon, and from what I’ve seen, I’d love to have you take over for him.”  Harry’s jaw drops and Niall laughs, patting Harry between his shoulders as he escorts him to the door.  “No pressure, obviously, but think of the benefits and higher salary you’ll be getting here if you decide to transfer.”  
  
“It’s definitely a lot better than what I have at the agency,” Harry admits, unashamedly.  
  
Niall glances over Harry’s shoulder, smiling softly.  “Give it some thought.  Someone else might want you here just as bad.”  
  
Harry turns to follow Niall’s stare, finding Veronica leaning against the wall nearby.  She gives him a smile and Niall pats him on the back, leaving to go back to his work.  Harry runs a hand through his hair and approaches Veronica, tucking his paycheck away into his suit jacket.

—  
  
“Heard it’s your last day,” Veronica says, eyes solemn.  
  
“Yeah,” Harry looks around, “I’m gonna miss this place.”  
  
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”  
  
They head towards the elevators, the doors opening as soon as Veronica presses its button.  Harry hits the floor to the parking garage, the silence between them making him uncomfortable as the lift makes its descent.  
  
“You and Niall, are you guys okay?” Harry asks, nervous, and Veronica just smiles.  
  
“It’s a little awkward right now, but we’ll be fine in a few days.  But I have you to thank, actually.  If you hadn’t told me about Zayn visiting Niall every night, I wouldn’t have known about them.”  
  
“Except for the part where you caught your brother sucking Niall’s dick.”  
  
“Yeah, that I could definitely have lived without,” Veronica shudders, making Harry laugh.  
  
The elevator finally reaches the parking garage, and Harry leads the way to his car, a cherry red Mazda Miata parked at the end of the row.  Veronica seems impressed with it, lightly running a finger over the bumper before she leans against it.  
  
“So I guess this is goodbye,” she sighs.  
  
“Don’t say that.  Maybe we’ll see each other again.”  
  
Veronica looks away and closes her eyes for a second.  She shakes her head and pushes herself off the car, surprising Harry when she kisses him.  It takes Harry a second to realize what’s happening, the way Veronica’s lips feel against his when he tilts his head, getting the perfect angle to kiss her back.  He places a hand on her hip to bring her closer, his gut tightening when he hears Veronica moan into his mouth.  
  
Harry’s still in shock when Veronica pulls away, asking, “Wh-What was that for?”  
  
“For me.”  Harry starts to stutter and Veronica giggles a little, biting her lip seductively.  “Harry, I made it no secret that I’m attracted to you.”  
  
“No,” he laughs, “I guess it was pretty obvious you knew I felt the same.”  
  
“I had a feeling,” she scrunches her nose, kissing his chin.  
  
“What you said yesterday, that we’d do dinner—could I take you?  We could go to a steakhouse, or maybe like a seafood place?”  
  
Veronica can’t stop herself from grinning, telling Harry, “Pick me up at five, I know the perfect place for us.”  
  
“Save some room for dessert,” he jokes, but Veronica tugs on the lapels of his suit jacket, purring, “I was hoping to skip that and go straight to your place right after,” and pulls Harry into a rough and heated kiss.  
  
“Wait, does this—” Veronica continues kissing him, laughing when Harry tries to speak.  “Does this mean I get to see your secret tattoo?” he finally asks.  
  
Veronica smirks, then lightly licks the line of Harry’s mouth, making him shiver.  “Show me yours,” she whispers, “and I’ll show you mine.”


End file.
